Illinois Players Look Back At Memorable Run To Elite Eight In NCAA Tournament

Jayden Armant | Apr 1, 2024

Mar 2, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini players celebrate after a victory against Wisconsin earlier this season - Kayla Wolf/USA Today Sports / Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports

It didn't end as expected for the Illinois Fighting Illini in the NCAA Tournament.

Their run at a championship was over after Saturday's loss to the UConn Huskies in the Elite Eight. Although they were unable to capture the first title in school history, there was plenty to celebrate.

They won a Big Ten tournament, helped coach Brad Underwood reach the second weekend of the NCAAs for the first time and allowed players to showcase their ability on a national stage.

"I'll remember this year as I feel like a senior year where I kind of showcased what I can do personally," forward Coleman Hawkins said. "And then as a team, I think just the fun we had I feel like the teams before were a lot more serious. And this team, we can go out and just have fun and still practice hard, play hard."

Despite their underdog status against the defending champion Huskies, the Illini still found a way to have fun on the highest stage. They entered the matchup with a loose demeanor. It just didn't translate to victory.

I don't think we -- me personally, I don't think we've had a bad practice this year," Hawkins said. "I feel like sometimes we dread doing certain things, but we still go out and do it as hard as we can.
We've had a great year, filled with great people, and it was just a fun group to be around. There was no cliques. There was nothing like that. Everybody's always included. I hope to -- I hope that same feeling goes in the future. I want to stick around with this group and have fun with this group for the rest of my life.

The run also provided everlasting memories, especially for players like Marcus Domask. A grad transfer, he won a conference tournament title while also making his first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Just the joy that this group has brought me," Domask said. "I've had a lot of fun in my last year of college. So, I mean, just joyful."